


Red is the Color of Fate

by Aqua_Lilly



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Death God, F/M, Family, Humor, I cried while writing this, Levi's Dry Humor, No sex is shown, Romance, Sisterly Love, Slow Burn, Starts a year before the Fall of Shinganshina, tissues needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 00:03:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8775103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aqua_Lilly/pseuds/Aqua_Lilly
Summary: Mai Yume is your average teen until she is pulled into her TV and sent to Shingeki no Kyojin to be a source of entertainment for a bored God of Death named Mezu. Follow her as she endures the dangers of living in a world of titans that want to eat to kill.





	1. Sweet Tears

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN NO MATTER HOW MUCH I WANT TO!

I was running around the house like a mad person, grabbing items as I went. I finally came to a skidding halt when I reached the couch.

"Okay, let's see if I got everything..." I took the notepad that I had stuffed into the back pocket of my faded blue jeans and the pencil I had stuffed behind my ear, "Popcorn... check. Three cans of * Tab... check. Tissues... check. Blanket and pillow... check. The entire first session of Shingeki no Kyojin that was borrowed from Rachel... check. Yep, that covers everything."

I had created this routine over the years. I knew that I wouldn't be getting up for anything once I started my binge watching. Scratch that. I only get up if my mother calls or if I need to use the bathroom.

And what am I watching you ask...

Shingeki no Kyojin.

All of my friends at school have been bugging me for years to watch it, but the answer was always the same. My parents at the time didn't want me watching M rated shows because they said they didn't want that in my head. But since I'm older, they finally caved and said that I could. You should have seen my reaction when they said that. There was a bit ear covering...

As soon as I double checked that I had everything, I plopped down on the old couch in my living room and hit play on the remote. I sang along with the theme song, singing at the top of my lungs since my parents went out for dinner tonight; leaving me with free reign over the sound waves in the vicinity of the house.

I had just finished the first episode when the power suddenly cut out.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me! I didn't even get to sing the song in a funeral march tune yet!" all I can tell you is that my friends and I do some wacky things when we're bored.

I stumbled to the kitchen and grabbed the flashlight my mom keeps under the sink. Once the pale light of the flashlight was on, I went out to the garage to see if it was the fuse or not. I opened up the fuse box and to my disappointment, it wasn't a blown out fuse.

"Sugar honey iced tea." I said under my breath, "If it was a fuse, I would have been able to fix it easily." we kept spare fuses lying around since a blown-out fuse was very common in our neighborhood.

I retreated back inside and walked down a dark hallway to get to the living room, but... something was wrong. The TV was on illuminating the dark room, "What the heck... I thought the power was off."

I peered into the room and saw nothing unusual... other than the TV. I hesitantly walked farther into the room before crouching in front of the TV and touching the screen with my right hand. My fingertips had barely brushed the TV before I heard a cackle.

I immediately retracted my hand and fell on my butt, "What the-!"

"Greetings little human!" a disembodied voice said. The TV flickered for a second before a person appeared on the screen. It was a smiling boy who looked no older than a twelve-year-old. He had long black hair that went beyond what I could see since all I could see was above his shoulders. He had bright yellow-green eyes that seemed to scream mischief and death. They gave off the feeling that if you weren't careful, you would either be his next prank victim or murder victim. He had a large grin plastered on his face that contained sharp canines. He was also as pale as a vampire.

He better not be a vampire... I joked in my head.

"W-who are you!" I said shakily despite the joke I made in my head. It's not every day you meet an odd boy in your TV.

"Oh, me? I'm Mezu! I already know who you are! Your Mai Yume! An eighteen-year-old girl with exceptionally red hair and has only ever seen one episode of Attack on Titan!" he stated.

"H-how-"

"How do I know this? Well, that's easy, I've been watching you. You intrigue me." he explained.

"But why would you watch someone like me? I mean, I'm nobody extraordinarily exciting. The only thing people find extraordinary about me is that I'm at the top of my class and that I have bright red hair!" I screamed at him.

He chuckled at my outburst, "I'll admit, the hair is intriguing, but that comes at a close second to your soul."

"Eh, my soul? Besides the slight creepiness of that, why would you need to bother someone as intriguing as me?" I questioned.

"Another easy question! The reason is..." he paused looking down. When he looked back at me, there was a different look in his eyes. His eyes took on an evil glint and he no longer looked like that little boy I saw earlier. He looked like a demon in the guise of a young boy, "is because I'm bored."

My bright green eyes widened as I let his words sink in. This is not going to go well for me, is it?...

"You see Red," Did he just give me a nickname!?, "due to how bored I am, I have decided to send you, the human I find intriguing, into another world, so that I will be cured of my boredom." he said licking his upper lip at thought of it.

"And that world would be...?"

He chuckled, "Shingeki no Kyojin." my eyes were wide with fear now as my body began to tremble.

He can't be serious!

"Now, I think it's best we be on our way now." he said coming out of the TV. He only came out far enough to grab my right hand (mid-torso) and pull me in.

I began to scream and struggle as he pulled me into the TV, but I could see that struggling was pointless.

For a scrawny 12-year-old, he sure is strong, but that can be chalked up to him not being human.

Before I knew it, I was inside the TV.

* * *

 

It was pitch black inside the TV, but for some odd reason I could still make out Mezu and myself floating in the darkness. By then, I had stopped struggling to see as there was no winning this fight. All I could do now was cry as I mourned over not being able to see my parents or the few friends that I had.

Mezu turned back to me when he heard me cry. He watched in the mixture of astonishment and unsureness.

"Umm... are you okay?" he asked.

I looked at him with tears in my eyes, "What do you think? I have been forced to leave my home, never to see my friends or family ever again. And on top of that, you're sending me to a place where the residence along with everyone else in my world call Hell! How do you think I feel!?" by the end of my rant, I was screaming at him and a new wave of tears was falling from my eyes.

Mezu's eyes were wide as he looked at my tear filled eyes. Hasn't he ever seen someone cry?

He halted our floating and fully turned towards me. He floated closer to me and looked at me with child-like fascination and unsureness. I tried to wipe away my tears, but he grabbed the hand with his other hand that he wasn't already holding onto. He placed my left hand at my side and cupped my face with his left. I just stared at him with a mixture of fear and curiosity. What is he doing? He stroked one of my tears away with his thumb. He then proceeded to lick it.

_Eh?_

"They're sweet..." he muttered. He cupped my face with his hand once again and took the hand that had been holding my right hand and placed it on my shoulder. He brought his face closer to mine and licked the tears on the other side of my face. I was frozen in place as he continued to lick away my tears. He even went back to the other side of my face to get the remnants of the tears that he had wiped away.

"Wh-what are you-" I started to say, but stopped when he interrupted me.

"I have never seen a human cry up close before and I've never felt such a strong amount of emotions coming from a human before. Plus, this is the first time I've tasted human tears, let alone sweet ones." he said with a milder version of the evil look he had earlier on his face.

"Sweet...?" Why are my tears sweet?

He chuckled, "Come on Red. We're on a tight schedule." he said grabbing my right hand once again, pulling me along as we floated further into the blackness.

* * *

 

*** Tab= a coke-a-cola product. Very tasty.**


	2. Before Hell Unfreezes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN NO MATTER HOW MUCH I WANT TO!!

We floated in the darkness for a little while longer before he came to a stop.

"Well, this is our stop. You won't see me for a little while since I need to take care of a few things before I join you." he stated.

"Join me? What do you mean?" I questioned.

"You didn't think I'd watch it all from a distance, did you!? I'll be invisible to everyone but you. Won't that be fun?" he asked me with a smile.

"I-I guess..." I said unsurely.

"Great! I'll see ya later Red!" he said letting go of my hand and pushing me away. As soon as he pushed me away, I suddenly felt the sensation of falling and soon found myself hurtling towards a small white light in the distance. I let out a shrill scream as I continued to fall.

_If I die I'm gonna haunt him to the ends of the cosmos!_

I lost conciseness half way into my dissent into the light.

* * *

**Year 844**

* * *

I woke up in a grassy field with the sun in my face. I let out a groan. _How long have I been asleep?_

"Hey, are you dead or not?" a young voice asks me.

"Huh?..." I ask him sleepily as I open my eyes.

When the blurriness faded from my vision, I see a young boy with dark brown hair and emerald green eyes wearing an oversized red scarf standing over me. _He sure is cute. He'll probably grow up to be a handsome young man._

"I asked if you were dead or not."

"... maybe." I say with a smirk.

"What kind of answer is that?" he asked while his very bright green eyes scrutinized me.

I let out a giggle as I sat up, "I funny one."

"You're weird... what's your name?" he asked me. As I looked into his, I could tell that my answer intrigued him.

"Mai Yume." I said holding my hand out towards him, "And you are..."

He takes my hand and gives it a confident shake as say, "Eren Jaeger."

_So this is Eren Jaeger in real life. He really is adorable._

"Nice to meet you Eren, Now if you don't mind me asking, where are we?"

His eyes widened at this, "You mean you don't know where you are at all?"

_Didn't I just say that?_

"Yeah..."

"If you don't know where you are, how are you supposed to get home?" he inquired.

_Uh oh, got think of a cover story and fast. Oh, I know! Amnesia! It worked fifty percent of the time in fan fictions, so why not try it here?!_

"Home... where is home?" I said feigning ignorance.

"Eh? You don't know where your home is?" Eren asked.

"It would seem so. Now that I think about it, I've pretty forgotten everything except my name, age, and oddly enough, the last time I went to the bathroom. Crazy, right?" as soon as the sentence left my lips, he gave me a, 'You've got to be fracking me look.'

"Okay, let me get this straight," Eren began, "You have amnesia and the only thing you remember is your: name, age, and the last time you took a dump?"

"Pretty much." I said scratching the back of my head.

_You didn't have to say it so crudely though..._

He let out a sigh before muttering under his breath, "I think I've officially met someone crazier than me..."

"Aw!~ You I'm crazy! How sweet. Just so you know, I'm more than crazy." I checked out our surroundings as though I were checking to see if anybody was near by before motioning for him to come closer. When he leaned in closer I brought my hand up to my mouth and whispered, "I'm awesome."

At first, he stared at me with wide eyes, before bursting into a fit of laughter with me joining in with my spill of giggles. Our bells of laughter filled the grassy fields.

Eren wiped a tear away and turned to me holding his sides, "Alright, why don't you come back home with me until you get your situation sorted out."

"Sure, why not, but only on one condition... you must help me up." I said with my best straight face.

Eren let out a chuckle, "Okay." Eren then grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet.

"Yosh! Off to your house!" I said marching off in a random direction.

"Mai." I heard him call out to me, "My home is that way." he said pointing in the opposite direction I was walking.

I felt my cheeks heat up slightly at this. I did an about-face and marched in the opposite direction I was walking, "Pft, I knew that." he shook his head at me before leading the way to his house.

* * *

By the time we had reached his home, the sky was showing signs of a setting sun and in that time, I have discerned two things.

One, Eren was 9 years old.

Two, it is a year prior to the fall of Shiganshina.

That means I have a year before Hell unfreezes... I better enjoy it while it lasts.

You're probably wondering how I know some of this info when the only episode I have seen is the first one. Well, before I watched the show, I had done some research on a few things that didn't have anything to do with the plot directly. I mostly looked up stuff like how old someone was, what they looked like, personalities, and what they specialized in.

Nothing too important although... now I wished I read I little more on the plot.

I looked up at the cottage. It was the same as the cottage in the anime minus the ink. Eren opened the door and walked in greeting his mother, "Mom, I'm home and we have a guest."

I walked in behind well Eren as his mother turned around to see us come in, but mostly me. She gave me a smile as she took in my appearance.

She took in my long red hair that was tied up with a purple ribbon in a low ponytail and took in my attire which had changed since I had arrived in this world. Instead of blue jeans and a t-shirt, I wore form fitting black capris, a white skirt over them that came to my thighs, a white three-quarter length dress shirt, a plain blue button up vest, a cloak that looked a whole like the one the Scouts wear except it was white and didn't have the Wings of Freedom on the back, and black loose-fitting ankle boots. The outfit was actually quite comfortable.

"Hello..." I said shyly. Tapping the toe of my boot on the wooden floor of the cottage.

"Hello, I'm Carla Jaeger. Who might you be?" she asked.

"I'm Mai Yume." I said a little less shy.

"Mom," Eren said grabbing his mother's attention, "Is it okay is Mai stays with us. She has amnesia and doesn't remember who she is other than what her name and how old she is." I took note of the fact that he didn't say the part about how I also remember the last time I went to the bathroom.

I watched as the smile on her face fell, "Amnesia?" she looked to me, "You poor dear." I rub the back of my head sheepishly as she continues to look at me, "Of course she can stay. You can stay for as long as you want." her smile returning to her face.

And that's how I ended up living with the Jaeger family.

* * *

**I know this is still prologue, but it is still necessary so that Mai will have a stronger connection to the death of Eren's mom and the tragedy that occurred. It will also build a stronger relationship between Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and Mai so bare with it for the time being. I'm not sure how long I'll make the prologue. I just now that I want certain things to happen at certain times.**

**I actually had to rewrite this chapter. I have recently just gotten myself up to date with the entire AOT manga and went to cheek out the timeline and noticed that this was the exact year Eren met Mikasa so I decided to make Mai's meeting with Eren was different.**

 


	3. The Jaeger Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN NO MATTER HOW MUCH I WANT TO!!

After our introductions were over, Mrs. Jaeger sent us to go wash our hands. She had just started placing the food on the table as we got back.

"Thank you for letting me stay here Mrs. Jaeger." I said with a smile.

"It's no problem dear." she said kindly as she placed three bowls of soup on the table. I noticed there was a slice of bread on the edge of the bowl.

As we sat down and ate, we talked cheerfully throughout dinner and once dinner was finished; Eren and I moved upstairs and sat on Eren's bed, which was to the left of another bed (which I guess I'll be sleeping in), talking until sundown. Mrs. Jaeger came in some time later to tell us it was time for bed.

Once under the scratchy yet comfortable covers, I let out a sigh, "Goodnight, Eren." I said over my shoulder since I had my back to him.

"Night." he said sleepily.

Before long, the only sound that I could hear from Eren was him softly snoring on the other side of the room. I stayed up longer than him thinking about the ordeal I had been through.

I couldn't stop thinking about my parents and how they would react to my disappearance. They would probably call the police and beg them to find their daughter even after months of searching for me. I also thought about how I would miss my friend Rachel and how she would be angry that I never returned Shingeki no Kyojin DVDs I borrowed from her on Friday.

After on this for a while, I came to an understanding that all I could do now was go with the flow of this world Mezu put me in. Didn't mean I was going to punch him in that pointy canine mouth of his, but I would learn to deal with the cards I had been dealt in this game of life.

Shortly after coming to some sort of compromise with my situation, I feel into a deep dreamless sleep.

* * *

The next morning, I awoke to Eren shaking me awake.

I let out a groan, "Five more minutes..."

"That's what you said five minutes ago." he said in a monotone voice.

I let out a chuckle and proceeded to sit up with a yawn, "So, what are we doing today?" I asked.

"We're going to meet our friend that we told you about yesterday, Armin. You'll love him." I heard Eren say as he got off my bed and went to the top of the staircase to my right.

"Oh, cool! I can't wait to meet him. Oh, I have another question. What's for breakfast?" I asked as my stomach let out a small growl.

Eren let out a giggle, "We have some apples if you want one."

"Sure!" I said as I got out of the bed. I ran my fingers through my pony tail to make it a little neater, "Yosh, let's do this thing!" Eren rolled his eyes at my antics, "Oi! No judging." that didn't stop him from rolling his eyes at me again.

* * *

When we found him, we saw him getting pummeled by a couple of other kids. And how do I respond, by throwing the core of the apple I had just eaten at the center of one of the bullies head.

"Hey! What was that for!?" he asked.

I gave him dark look, "What do you think, you piece of dung? I threw it as a warning. Next time I see you picking on him..." I paused, making my already dark look even darker. Making it seem as though I was a demon in the guise of a human like Mezu did, "I won't be as lenient." The two of them took one look at my face and ran with their tails between their legs.

_Is that just a shadow... or did they literally just wet their pants?_

I turned to the blonde kid who was still on the ground, "Oi, you okay?" I asked.

The boy turned to look at me, "Y-Yeah..."

Eren came up beside me and gestured towards Blondie, "This is Armin, the friend I told you about. Armin this is Mai. We met her yesterday and she's staying with us now." Eren said.

"Oh, so this is Armin... your right Mikasa, he is cute." I said with a smile. I saw his cheeks turn as red as my hair. This just made me smile more, "You're even cuter when you blush." this just caused him to blush more. I let out a laugh, "You do know that I'm messing with you, right?" he nodded, "Good." I grabbed his hand and pulled him up to his feet, "I have this feeling that we'll be great friends."

He smiled, a hint of pink still on his cheeks, "Same here."

And that's was the start of our friendship.

* * *

**Next chapter, we will finally get to what happens during the series. Can't wait to see what I'll write!**


	4. Pretty Little Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN NO MATTER HOW MUCH I WANT TO!

I have been staying with the Jaeger family for about a few weeks now and I already feel as though I'm part of the family. Armin and I continued to meet each other almost on a daily basis, forming an unbreakable friendship and during the time I spent with the Jaeger family, I could tell you with the utmost confidence that I was practically adopted by them. Mrs. Jaeger was like a mom to me and filled the hole that was left in my heart when I left mine. I have had some close calls when it comes to almost addressing her Mom, but she didn't seem to mind and would always smile at me. Mr. Jaeger was pretty awesome as well, but it wasn't the same with him. I liked the guy and all, but he was usually not home since he was off taking care of his patients so I didn't build as strong a bond with him as I did with Mrs. Jaeger.

I also took on the big sister role with Eren the moment I started staying with them. We became what you would say 'soul siblings'. The benefit to this was that I got a sibling to baby and take care of. Back in my world, I was adopted by the family I had lived with since they could never have a child of their own. They decided to only adopt one child so I've never had any siblings. Compared to my world, I feel as though I truly belong here.

Today was like any other day, Eren and I had gotten ready for the day and had gotten an apple to eat. As we were about to leave, we were stopped by Mr. Jaeger.

"Eren. I have to head out to see a family that lives near the wall. Would you like to come with?"

Eren looks to me as if asking me for my opinion to which I give a smile and a nod. He turns back to his father, "Sure, I don't see why not."

"Splendid. We should head over there now before the rain kicks in makes the roads too dangerous to travel on," he says as he grabs his bag.

Just as Eren was about to leave I called out to him,"Eren, you forgot your scarf!" he turned to see me holding his oversized red scarf, "You'd think by how much you wear this thing you wouldn't forget it, but it seems I stand corrected," I say as I wrap the scarf around his tan neck.

He lets out a chuckle at this, "Yeah well, I'd have to say that about that purple ribbon of yours. You forgot to wear it yesterday."

"Touche." I say as I bop his nose with my finger, "I suggest you get going before you worry your father." I say with a kiss on the nose I just bopped, "Travel safely and try not to make any more enemies." I smirked.

His cheeks turned red at this, "Who says I go around making enemies?!" at this, he turns and runs off to join his father as he starts his trek down the stone steps.

As I watch them descend the stone steps, I get this feeling that they won't return alone when they come back. I shrug off the feeling and go back inside and help Mrs. Jaeger with the housework.

* * *

By the time Eren and his father return home, it was past midnight and both Mrs. Jaeger and I were relieved and relaxed a little in our chairs at the table the moment they entered the door, but confused when we saw a third person enter the Jaeger home.

"Honey, who's this?" Mo- I mean, Mrs. Jaeger inquires.

Her husband turns to the young girl that had just walked in and was standing unusually close to Eren. She had long black hair and beautiful grey eyes. She was draped in Eren's overcoat and red scarf. She was quite the pretty little thing and would most definitely be a beautiful woman when she grew up, "This is Mikasa. Due to _unfortunate_ circumstances, she will be staying with us from now on."

_So this is Mikasa... she truly is as pretty as she was in the anime._

I turned to Mrs. Jaeger and saw that she was staring at her husband and Mikasa with wide eyes not knowing what to say.

 _Well... if no one is going to say anything or do anything..._ I got up from my chair walked over towards where Eren and Mikasa were. Once I was standing in front of the two of them, I got down on one of my knees so that I was at eye level with them, "It's nice to meet you, Mikasa. My name's Mai." I said as I held out my hand out to her with a smile.

I watched as her hand slowly rose up, but instead of taking my hand, she took some of the hair that wasn't in my ponytail in her hand, "Eren told me about you on the way here. He said your hair was really pretty and he was right. Your hair _is_ really pretty..." she said quietly.

My green eyes blinked a couple of times as the information sunk in and once it did, I let out a chuckle, "So I've been told, thank you. Your's is really pretty as well." I say as I too take hold of some of her hair as well. Even though the scarf was covering her mouth, I could tell she was smiling by the look in her eyes and how they lit up in a way that made her grey eyes turn slightly blue, "Would you like something to eat? It's been a long day and it would be best to get something in that belly of yours before you go to bed." I asked with concern lacing my voice.

"That would be nice..." she said as she released my hair. At this, I too released her hair and went to stood up, once again offering my hand. She took it this time, "Mo- I mean, Mrs. Jaeger, do we still have any of that stew you made for dinner?"

She gave me a calm smile before answering, "I believe so. Do you boys want any?" they both responded with a nod of the head and sat down at the table. As they got seated, I went to go grab the extra chair we kept in the closet for Mikasa to use. I placed it at the end of the table before sitting next to Eren and joining in on the conversation that was taking place. Mikasa didn't talk much, but she would occasionally make a comment here and there.

Once Eren and Mikasa were finished eating, we headed upstairs to go to bed. Mikasa and I ended up sharing the bed I had been using for the past few weeks, but I didn't mind since I've always been a cuddler. Both Eren and Mikasa fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows leaving me to ponder what went on today.

_What on God's green Earth happened to you two?_

I ended up not having to wait long to find out what happened. The next day, instead of immediately going off to hand out with Armin, Eren asked me to have a seat on his bed along with Mikasa.

Apparently, while I was getting dressed up here with the two of them downstairs, they had come to the conclusion that they should tell me what happened last night. They told me how Mikasa's parents had killed by black market traders and how she kidnapped by those same people who were going to take her to the underground market in the capital to be auctioned off to some old pervert just because she's the last of her race. Luckily Eren had swooped in and saved the day by killing two of the three men while Mikasa took care of the third that had attacked Eren. Throughout the duration of their tale, my fists were clenching the sheets tightly. As soon as they finished, I launched myself forwards from my position on the bed and enveloped Eren and Mikasa in my arms.

"E-Eren... you idiot... I thought I told you not to go around making enemies!" I choked out as tears started to fall down my face.

"O-oi! It's like I told you before! I don't do it on purpose!" he yelled into my left shoulder.

"Your actions speak louder than your already very loud words," I said with a chuckle. In my left shoulder, I could feel Mikasa chuckling at my words, "Hey Eren, check this out. We got little miss 'Too Cool for Words' laughing. I think I'd like to hear more of it.~" and with that, I unhooked the arm I had around Eren and proceeded to tickle Mikasa.

She immediately dissolved into fits of laughter as I continued to tickle her stomach. To my left, Eren was also laughing, but not from being tickled. He was laughing at the situation Mikasa was in.

_Well, that's about to change._

Before he knew what was going on, the roles had been reversed. Eren was the one being tickled to death while Mikasa was on her side laughing at Eren's predicament. This went on for another five minutes until we were all lying on our backs atop of Eren's bed. We eventually decided that we had kept Armin waiting long enough and left the confines of the Jaeger household to go so see him.

Armin took a liking to Mikasa immediately upon meeting her and the trio we had made had now become a quartet. I felt complete with these three by my side. I felt as though nothing would be able to keep us apart.

Not even death could separate us now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter.
> 
> I just recently got caught up with the manga and felt that it would be safe to go read the AOT Timeline, but once I did, I noticed that I made a mess of the timeline in this story. I actually had to rewrite chapter two through five to fix the mess I made. So much stuff happened during the year of 844 such as: Mikasa was kidnapped then rescued, Levi joined the survey corps, Armin and Eren become friends (probably a year or two before the year 844), and Mai came to this world. Crazy, right?
> 
> Anyways, thanks again for reading this story. See next chapter!~


	5. Last One There is a Smoking Titan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN NO MATTER HOW MUCH I WANT TO!

**Year 845**

* * *

Today Mrs. Jaeger asked the three of us to go collect more wood (sticks) for our wood (stick) supplies. We had been running low recently. When we got there, I turned to Eren to see if was okay. He looked dead on his feet.

* * *

**The night before...**

* * *

I had been reading late into the night by candlelight one of Armin's books on the outside world. I of course already knew what lay outside the walls, but this book reminded me of home. While reading about the desserts, I heard Eren wake up from his deep slumber with a gasp.

I could see the candlelight reflect off of the sweat that was dripping off his face and the quick rise and the fall of his chest.

I gave him a worried look, "Eren, are you okay?"

His eyes widened as he turned to me. He must not have noticed I was awake until now, "I-I'm alright..." his ears turned a little red.

"Liar." I bluntly said. He turned his head in the other direction but turned his gaze to me when he heard me close my book and place it on the nightstand that sat between the two beds.

I got out from under my covers and crossed the small distance to Eren's bed, "Scoot over."

"Eh?" he questioned confused.

"Scoot over, now," I said with more firmness. He obediently scooted over, "Good boy." I said as I crawled into the bed with him.

"W-What are you doing?" he questioned.

"Getting into bed with you. Is that so wrong?"

"But I'm a boy!" he yelled at me.

I put a finger to his lips, "Shh, you'll wake Mikasa." I said in a calm voice. Once I felt confident he wouldn't yell at me, I took my finger away from his lips, "Now, what seems to be the problem?" I asked, the worried look finding it's way back into my eyes.

"It was just a nightmare..." he admitted.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

He shook his head, "Even if I did, I wouldn't be able to tell you anyways. I forgot what it was about." he said with downcast eyes.

I pulled him into a side hug, "It's okay to forget a dream. I do it all the time." I said reassuringly.

"But... I feel like it's important somehow..." he said confused.

"Maybe it's a memory of some sort... when the time is right, you'll remember it," I said with a smile.

He smiled as well, "Okay."

"Good, now time for bed," I said turning on my side and pulling the covers over my shoulder.

"Oi! Go sleep with Mikasa!" he said in a hushed yell.

"Too lazy," I said with a smirk.

"B-But I'm a boy!" he argued sitting up.

I rolled my eyes and pulled him down and placed my arm around his middle making it so his back was against my chest, "Yes, but you're not a man. Once you become a man, I will no longer sleep with you unless the situation calls for it. Until then, suck it up."

He scowled at this, but sighed in defeat, "Fine..."

"Glad we see eye to eye Eren," I said sleepily. I turned around and grabbed the handle of the candle holder. I blew out the candle and placed it back on the nightstand, "Goodnight, Eren."

"Goodnight, Mai." he said sleepily.

And just like that, we both fell asleep, though... Eren slept restlessly. I know so because every now and then I would feel him move around trying to get comfortable when he woke up.

* * *

**Present...**

* * *

"Eren." he turned his head towards me with half-lidded eyes.

"Mmm..."

"Go sleep over there under that tree. You need the rest." I told him.

"But... I need to... gather wood (sticks)..." he said in a cute sleepy manner.

_Oh my gosh, he's so adorable!_

"That wasn't a suggestion Eren," I said firmly.

He blinked at me sleepily before dropping his wood (stick) holder onto the ground. He then made his way over to a tree that provided perfect shade for sleeping.

_I feel like I'm having deja vu?_

After about a half an hour of collecting wood (sticks), both Mikasa and I sat down and talked for a while. When an hour passed by, the two of us looked back towards Eren.

"Should we wake him?" I inquired.

"It has been an hour..." she said in her usual monotone voice. We looked at each other before nodding simultaneously. Mikasa sat down in front of him while I stood behind her, "Eren..." no response. She tried again, "Eren..." no response, but I did see a pained look cross his face. She tried again, "Eren." she said with a little more force.

Eren's emerald green eyes snapped open and he gasped for air. I looked over at Mikasa to see her reaction to this and saw that she looked a little worried. Once his vision came into focus, he noticed both Mikasa and I hovering over him, "Huh? Mikasa? Mai?"

"Let's start heading back." she stated.

"Why am I here?" he asked still in a sleepy stupor.

"You were sleeping _that_ soundly?" she asked standing up.

He sat up before answering, "No, it just feels like I was having a _really_ long dream." he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, "What was it? I don't remember a thing." Mikasa went to go pick up her bundle of wood (sticks).

She turned to him once the bundle was secured to her back. Her eyes then widened and she turned a little more towards him, "Eren? Why are you crying?"

He brought his right hand to his eyes to check. I checked as well and sure enough, there were tears in his eyes.

He seemed to space out in thought after checking for said tears, "Hello? Earth to Eren. Is your head lost in the clouds?" I asked with a smug look on my face.

He turned to me with a scowl, "No!"

"Good, because if you are I'm going to beat you to the bottom of the hill!~" I taunted as I ran off to grab my bundle. I pulled it on as I began to make my way down the hill, laughing the whole way.

"Oi! That's cheating!" he yelled after to me. I look back to see that he along with Mikasa were not that far behind me.

"It isn't cheating when I take advantage of an opportunity given by fate!" I called out to me.

"Grr!" I heard him growl.

"Last one there is smoking Titan corpse!" I declared.

"You're on!" I heard Eren shout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter! See you next chapter!~


	6. Want a Rematch?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN NO MATTER HOW MUCH I WANT TO!

"Don't tell anyone. About me crying." Eren pleaded to Mikasa as we walked through town.

"And please don't tell anyone you beat me in a race I got a head start on. It would ruin my street cred." I pleaded to Mikasa on the other side of Eren.

"What street cred?" I heard Eren mumble but I decided to ignore that comment and continue to walk.

A small smile passed Mikasa's lips at Eren's comment, "I won't. But for you to start crying for no reason... Why not ask Uncle to take a look at you?"

I looked up and saw that we were about to walk under Wall Maria.

"Don't be stupid! As if I could tell Dad," he argued as walked through the stone archway. I had to move behind Eren so I didn't smack into the stone arch.

"What're you crying over, Eren?" the three of us looked up and saw Hannes-san standing in front of us. He looked a little tipsy from where I stood.

_Great job protecting the wall Baka._

"Did you get scolded by Mikasa?" he asked leaning towards us.

"Huh? What makes you think I'd cry?" he took a breath after denying his claim but found that air surrounding Hannes was not savory at all. He turned away and clutched his nose, "You reek of booze!"

We heard laughter on the other side of the archway, "Come on, it's cool." it was a bunch of drunk Garrisons playing cards.

Eren and I looked at them disappointed, "You're drinking again?"

"Why don't you three join us?"

My eyes narrowed slightly. _I'm getting the sense that I've seen this scenario before... but where?_

"Well, uh..." Eren looked up to Hannes, "What about work?" he questioned.

"Ah, we're wall guards today." he said bringing his left fist over his heart in a half salute, "Having been here all day, hunger and thirst were bound to catch up to us." he gave us smug look that told us he wasn't taking his job seriously, "The fact that alcohol happened to be in out drinks is but a trivial matter." he finished with a shrug of his shoulders.

I could feel the anger Eren was trying to conceal, "But will you be able to fight when you need to?"

"Huh? And when would that be?" he asked dumbly.

"Isn't it obvious!? When _they_ break down the wall and storm the city!" he said angrily. My eyes widened at what he said.

_No... NonoNoNoNO! It can't be today! Why didn't I see the signs sooner? I don't want Mrs. Jaeger to die!_

I had to keep from crying then and there.

"Oh, damn." he put his hand to his forehead, "Hey, Eren, don't start yelling so suddenly."

One of the men playing cards came over laughing, "You're real lively, doctor's son." he came to a stop to the left of Hannes, "If _they_ ever manage to do that you bet we'll get the job done. Then again, it's been nothing but peace and quiet these past 100 years." he said smugly.

"Even so, my dad said it's the most dangerous when everyone lets their guard down like that!" the two of them gave him a confused look.

"Dr. Jaeger, huh?" he said in thought, "Come to think of it, Doc was the one who saved this town from an epidemic, and we're all greatly indebted to him." he paused, "However, _they're_ an entirely different matter." he turned and looked to the fifty-meter-tall wall behind him, "If you're a soldier, there'll be times when you see _them_ wandering around outside while reinforcing the wall. Still, I can't imagine them being able to do anything about this fifty-meter-tall wall."

"W-Wait... So you're saying you don't even have the resolve to fight them, to begin with?" he asked trying to once again to hold in his anger.

"Pretty much." he bluntly said which was a bad call on his part.

"Seriously!? Quit calling yourselves the "Stationed Army Corps", and go by "Wall Construction Corps" instead!" Eren said, some of his anger leaking out.

"That doesn't sound half bad." the other guy joked.

"But you know, Eren, to see soldiers working wouldn't bode well for us all." he argued, "It's when we're criticized by people who call us useless freeloaders that everyone's living in peace." he said looking back at the fifty-meter wall.

I heard Eren clench his fist in rage, "Even if we're confined within these walls, we can keep on living, just eating and sleeping." out of the corner of my eye I could see Mikasa's eyes widen slightly, "But... that would be as if... As if we're just cattle." he reasoned. His logic seemed to snap Hannes sober.

He turned to his two buddies at the table when he heard them laugh, "What a valiant little brat!" one said.

"Even though he can't do anything himself, right, Hannes?" other asked.

"Huh? Y-Yeah," he said unconvincingly. The three of us walked away after that with me back at Eren's side instead of behind the two. We heard him call out to us but we paid him no mind.

"Hey, Eren, you okay?" I asked Eren after we were a little ways away from the drunk Garrisons.

"Yeah, but I'm still pissed though..."

"Mmm..." after a few minutes, my eyes widened before a smirk found it's way to my lips, "Oi, you guys want a rematch on that race?" I asked.

Eren turned to me with a smirk of his own, "You're on Mai!"

"Fine by me, but I'm going to win again." Mikasa stated calmly as we came to a stop at the corner of one of the houses, "The first person to make it to Mrs. O'Hara's house first wins."

"Ready?... Set... GO!" I shouted as I sprinted into a run.

_I better enjoy this while it lasts... Times likes these will become rare._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter!
> 
> * The People of the Land= You cannot blame them. They are simple minded. People of the land. You know. Morons.anyone who is 14 years old or older since some of it (most of it) was crude. I forgot who said it, but it was hilarious!
> 
> This phrase was used in the movie 'Blazing Saddles'. An amazingly well-done comedy that I recommend to 
> 
> Thanks again. See you next chapter!~


	7. The Heroes Have Returned

I had my hands on knees panting, "How is it that even though I'm older than you, you still beat me in a race?" I ask Mikasa.

"It's because your slow." she stated.

"I am not! If anyone's slow it's Eren!" I argued.

"Mai!" Eren whined.

I let out a sigh, "Well, anyhow," I said standing up straight, "I think we should hurry up and get home. Mrs. Jaeger is expecting us." I said as we started our walk up the hill. I looked to Mikasa and saw her deep in thought.

_I wonder what she's thinking about. She's probably thinking about how she doesn't want Eren in the Survey Corps._

"Eren, Mai, you should give up on joining the Survey Corps." she said in a monotone.

_Eh? She included me in that sentence. Well... I have mentioned before that I was going to join the Survey Corps._

* * *

**Year 844**

**Four months post entering this world...**

* * *

We had just finished dinner and were on Eren's bed talking about how awesome the recon team looked while leaving for their next mission when Eren had stated he wanted to join the Survey Corps.

"Eh? You too?" feigning ignorance that I didn't know already that he was going to join. I had put some thought into this once before. Who would want to stay cooped up in this prison for their entire lives? Especially someone like me who used to live without walls separating me from the outside world.

He looked at me with wide eyes, "Really!? You want to join as well?" he asked with a smile on his face.

"Of course. I feel like a prisoner inside these walls. I want to be free." I said with a dreamy look in my eyes. Eren seemed to have sparkles in his eyes at the fact that he wasn't alone in his decision.

"Don't..." we turned to see Mikasa was looking at us with fear in her eyes, "Don't join the Survey Corps." she pleaded calmly.

I smiled at her placing my hand on her head, "Don't worry Mikasa. We won't die that easily." I said reassuringly.

"But how do you know that for sure?" she asked.

"I just do." the conversation was dropped after that and we went back to talking about other stuff.

* * *

**Year 845**

**Present...**

* * *

"What? You're gonna look down on them too?" he questioned her.

"It doesn't have anything to do with how I see them-" she was caught off by the sound of bells in the distance.

"The Survey Corps is back! The front gate is gonna open! Let's go, Mikasa, Mia! It's the triumphant return of the heroes!" he said enthusiastically grabbing Mikasa's hand, running hurriedly to the gate. I followed behind them with a smile on my face even though I knew what I would see if I went.

* * *

When we got to the gate, there was already a crowd formed along the sides of the road.

"Shoot, I can't see." he said jumping up and down as he ran trying to find a place he could watch them from. Being only five-foot-one, I could barely see as it is. The two of them finally found a couple boxes to stand on.

We watched as they rode passed on their horses with sad looks on their faces. One of the men looked up at us. He had blonde hair and insanely thick eyebrows. He saw the look of amazement on Eren's and my face and turned away with downcast eyes.

Eren gave him a confused look before looking at the rest of the soldiers behind the man and saw why. His eyes widened in horror at what he saw. He saw wounded men and horror-stricken faces.

"Only this many of them made it back?" a man wondered out loud, "They must've all been eaten. This is what happens when you go outside the walls."

"Moses? Moses!" we turned to see an old woman looking for her son, "Excuse me, I don't see my son, Moses... Where can I find him?" she asked grabbing onto what I can only guess is the Commander in fear of what he will say.

"It's Moses's mother." he turned to the man to his left, "Bring it over." the man came back and handed over an object the was wrapped in a white sheet stained with dried blood to his Commander who then gave it to the woman.

The woman looked down at in horror before she looked up to the Commander as if asking if he was pulling her leg. Seeing that there was humor on his face, she immediately began to unwrap the object in her arms. Once she unveiled the arm of her on, she swiftly covered it back up. She let out a heart-wrenching sob with shaking shoulders.

"That's all we were able to recover." the Commander said regrettably. The woman fell to her knees, cradling the arm close to her person. I watched with a hand over my mouth to keep in my own sobs. I could feel tears swell in the corners of my eyes.

 _How can these people watch this without shedding a tear!?_ I could feel the rage building up inside me as looked at the spectators' cold faces.

The Commander kneeled down in front of the woman as she began to speak, "But... my son... carried out host duty, right?" the Commander was taken aback by her words, "Although it may not have been anything significant, he contributed to mankind's retaliation somehow, didn't he!?" looking up at the Commander with tears in her eyes in desperation to ease the pain in her heart.

The wind picked up a little, moving the red bangs that I let hang in my eyes.

"Of course! No..." he said taking back his words, "Through this mission we... No, through all of our missions... We've failed to achieve _anything_!" he shouted with tears streaming fro his eyes, "Through my incompetence, I've gotten soldiers killed for nothing, and failed to learn the slightest thing about _them!_ " the woman along with everyone single one of us, stared in horror at what he was saying.

_I guess watching your friends die in front of you takes a toll on you after a while..._


	8. Our Reasons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN NO MATTER HOW MUCH I WANT TO!

Once the commotion had died down, the regiment left. Grief-stricken faces and all. Though, the crowd still stood there in their shook stupor except for Eren, Mikasa, and myself. They hopped down from their boxes and quietly began to walk towards the sunlit ally to our right. As we were leaving though, we could the conversation between two discontents.

"What a real mess." a man said.

"Tell me about it." the man's friend said, "All this shows is that our taxes are being spent fattening them up for nothing." he complained. At this, Eren stopped in his tracks, did an about face and marched up to the man. As he walked passed me, he took one of the pieces of wood (sticks) from my bundle and whacked the man on top of the head. The man in question clutched his head in pain, "What's your problem, you damn brat!?" he turned to Eren.

The look on Eren's face screamed, 'If you don't take back what you said I'll shove this stick up your butt and give you something to really complain about!'. He raised his stick to whack him again but was stopped when Mikasa grabbed him by the back of his jacket and swiftly pulled him into the alley. I ran after them.

"H-Hey! What're you doing, Mikasa!?" he yelled at her.

"Hey, get your ass back here!" the man screamed after them but didn't follow.

_Wise choice._

* * *

For some portion of being dragged away, Eren struggled against Mikasa's hold and demanded that I help him but I would just shake my head at him, knowing that he would just go back and pummel the guy. Plus, it serves as mild entertainment. It's more fun watching him get dragged by Mikasa in real life than it is on the couch at home. He eventually stopped struggling and persistently kept begging Mikasa to stop dragging him.

"Mikasa! This is far enough, isn't it!?"

_He does have a point... but she is about to throw him into a wall._

Just as I thought this, Mikasa threw Eren into the wall in front of us. He hit it with a resounding thud and fell to the ground, his pieces of wood (sticks) going everywhere.

"What was that for? The wood's all over the place now!" he complained.

Mikasa just looked at him, "Eren, did that change your mind about joining the Survey Corps?" she inquired.

He sat up straighter and took a sharp intake of breath. They stared at each other for a second before Eren changed the subject, "Help me pick them up."

Mikasa got down and helped him pick them up, "There isn't much, to begin with."

Once all the pieces of wood (sticks) were picked up, we headed in the direction of home.

"Hey, Eren."

"Yeah?"

"Nice hit." he snapped his head towards me in shock, "If you hadn't hit him, I would have hit him instead." I stated.

He let out a chuckle, "I guess you would have."

* * *

We walked up the stone steps to our home with Eren in the front, Mikasa in the middle, and me bringing up the rear.

"We're back." Eren said as he opened the door.

"Welcome back." his mother greeted us. When I entered the house, I took notice that not only was Mrs. Jaeger home, Mr. Jaeger was as well.

"Hi Mr. Mrs. Jaeger." I greeted them as I walked through the door. I walked over to where Mikasa was finishing putting her wood (sticks) in the wooden crate we keep next to the fireplace. I put mine in after her and went to go help set the table.

As Eren was putting 'his' bundle of wood (sticks) in the crate, his mother came over with a smile, "My, Eren, I see you've worked harder than usual."

Eren diverted his eyes, "Y-Yeah." his ears turned a little red as he lied. His mother tugged on his ear. He clutched his ear from the slight pain of the tugging, "What?" he asked.

She leaned in as she answered, "Your ears are warm. I can tell you're lying. Mikasa and Mai helped you out, didn't they?" she questioned.

I let out a giggle at their antics, "We had too. He was asleep the entire time." I said from my spot at the table. I had just placed the loafs of bread on the table.

"Oi! You gave me permission to go and sleep!" he blamed as he pointed his finger at me.

"Only because you looked dead on your feet." I stated calmly with a smile on my face.

Mrs. Jaeger turned to the fuming boy with worry in her eyes, "You were?"

He blinked, "Y-Yeah... I had a nightmare last night and couldn't sleep well the rest of the night, but Mai took care of me." she looked between the two of us and let out a tired sigh.

"Thank you, Mai." she thanked me with a smile.

"No problem Mrs. Jaeger. I feel as though he's my little brother despite only being here for a year!" I said with a smile on my face, but was actually internally crying at the fact that she was going to die by sundown.

She chuckled, "I feel the same with you. Both you and Mikasa have found a place within this family." she said as she came over and helped me place the last bowl of soup on the table, "Now, let's get to eating."

Eren immediately plopped into his chair and gobbled up his soup. I sat across from him and watched as he ate like a pig. I glanced at Mikasa and saw that she calmly sitting at the table eating, but mostly pushing her food around her plate.

_She's probably in the process of telling Mr. and Mrs. Jaeger about Eren's decision to join the Scouts._

"Oh, are you heading out, Dad? Work?" Eren asked between mouthfuls when he noticed his father packing his bag.

"Yes. Medical examinations within the inner walls." he answered.

"Which wall? Wall Rose or Wall Sina?" I asked in curiosity.

"Wall Rose." he replied.

"Oh." the two of us responded but Eren's was more muffled since he was pouring the remnants of his soup into his mouth.

"Eren and Mai say they want to join the Survey Corps." Mikasa said spilling the beans.

_Again, I'm included in their cannon dialog. I guess this is the result of being sent to this world. I'll just go with it._

Mrs. Jaeger wiped her head around to look at us with fear and concern in her eyes while Mr. Jaeger seemed intrigued by this information.

Eren sat there frozen for a second before slamming his plate and spoon onto the table, "M-Mikasa, I told you that's a secret!"

I just sat there in fake shock.

"Eren!" Mrs. Jaeger marched up to her son and grabbed him by the shoulders, "Do you know how many people died outside the walls?" she asked.

"I do!" he shouted.

"Then why-" she was cut off when her husband spoke.

"Eren." the four of us looked to him, "Why do you wish to venture outside?" he inquired.

"I want to know... what's become of the outside world. I don't want to simply live out my life within the walls like this! Besides, if nobody follows in their footsteps... The sacrifice of all those who lost their lives would be in vain!" he explained with determined eyes.

He turned to me, "I see. What about you, Mai."

"Who? Me?" I asked shocked, "Well, uh... I guess it would be the same reason as Eren except I feel as though I'm a prisoner inside these walls. I don't want to be imprisoned in my own world." I said confidently.

_Though... it isn't my world per se._

"Mmm. The ferry will depart soon. I'll be off now." he said getting up to leave.

"Wait, dear! Say something to Eren and Mai!" she begged her husband as she followed him to the door.

"Carla, a human's spirit of inquiry isn't something that can be talked down." he explained, "Eren, Mai." he then turned to us. Mikasa and I were already out of our chairs by the time he turned to us, but only then did Eren got out of his, "When I return, I'll show you the basement that I've always kept a secret." he said brandishing a golden key. They had told me about the basement before even though I already knew about it.

Eren's eyes began to sparkle with child like curiosity, "Really!?"

"Really." he said putting away the key, "Well, I best be off." he said as he kissed his wife and hugged everyone, including me, goodbye.

We followed him out so we could wave goodbye. Mrs. Jaeger, Mikasa, and I stood on the steps and waved goodbye for a short while Eren stood on the stone stepped pathway waving goodbye enthusiastically.

"Have a safe trip!" he called out.

"I'm still against it." Mrs. Jaeger stated, "Only fools would consider joining the Survey Corps."

"What? Fools!? To me, people that are content with living like cattle seem way more stupid!" he exclaimed running off.

"Eren!" she called after him with an out stretched hand. She turned to Mikasa and me when she heard us walking down the stone steps, "Mikasa, Mai, that boy has a habit of getting in trouble, so when somethin happens, be there for each other." she pleaded to us.

"Okay." Mikasa said agreeing.

"Don't worry Mrs. Jaeger, Eren is in good hands!" I assured her.

She sighed, "Thank you. Now run along, God knows Eren is probably already in a fight." she chuckled. We nodded and ran off, but before I could leave, she grabbed my upper arm to stop me, "Just a moment Mai." I stopped and looked at her.

"What is it?"

"I know I'm not your real mother and have no say in the matter on whether or not you should join the Military or not, but... I feel compelled to ask you to be careful." she said.

I smiled at her kind words, "Don't worry Mrs. Jaeger, I promise you, I'll try to stay out of trouble."

"Thank you. Now, hurry up and go save Eren." she said with a smile on her face.

"Mmm!" and with that, I ran after Mikasa.

_I'm going to miss Mrs. Jaeger when she dies._

I felt a few tears fall down my cheeks at the thought of her dyeing but quickly whipped them away.

"Stay strong Mai. Stay strong." I chanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter!
> 
> We're almost passed the first episode of the series! I'm so excited! I can't believe it's taken up to seven chapters so far. It may take one or two more before I'm done.
> 
> Thanks again. See you next chapter!~
> 
> Edited: August 28, 2016


	9. Broken Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN NO MATTER HOW MUCH I WANT TO!

By the time I caught up with the two, they had already picked up Armin and were on the stone steps leading into the water.

"Oi! Eren, Mikasa, Armin!" I called out when I was a couple yards away.

They turned to me with grim smiles, "Hey Mai." Eren greeted.

I took a seat next to Armin, "So, what are you guys talking about." I said with a fake smile.

_Though, I already know what you're talking about. It's only a matter of minutes before hell unfreezes._

"Life..." Eren said glumly.

"Oh..." my fake smile fell into a real frown.

"Anyways, "Armin began, "So, when I said mankind would eventually need to go outside, they hit me, saying I was a heretic."

"You got hit again for being a genius? One day they'll bow down to you because your so smart." I said trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't help much.

"Damn it." Eren said throwing a stone into the water to vent his frustration, "Why does simply wanting to go outside turn everyone against us?" he wondered aloud.

"Well, it's because it's because it's been peaceful within the walls for the past 100 years. In order to prevent inviting  _them_ in through a reckless attempt to go outside, the king's government created a policy that made holding an interest in the outside world taboo." Armin explained.

"We're risking our  _own_  lives. It's our choice to make." Eren stated angerly.

"I won't let you." Mikasa firmly stated, "You can't."

"Oh yeah, I can't believe you ratted us out!"

"I don't remember saying I'd help." she reasoned.

"Wh-What'd they say?" Armin asked looking between Eren and me.

"Well, they weren't exactly throwing us a party." I answered sarcastically.

"No kidding." Eren said agreeing."

Armin let out a sigh, "I figured." the wind picked up blowing our hair around, "True, I think those who believe that walls will forever provide a life of peace need to face reality. Just because the wall has done its job for the past 100 years, it doesn't guarantee that it won't be destroyed today..." I turned to look at the wall, "Not in the slightest." the wind stopped blowing as though it were holding its breath for what was to come.

**3...**

**2...**

**1...**

I felt a single tear fall down my cheek before a single bolt of energy fell from the heavens and struck the ground in front of the wall. The bolt of energy caused the surrounding area to shake. Due to how light we were, we were bounced into the air like bouncy balls. I landed on my face, causing my lip to bleed. I licked my lip and tasted the blood on it.

_It's sweet... Like my tears... Mezu better have some answers when I see him again... I wonder where that jerk is?_

"Wh-What the...?" Armin said getting up from where he had been tossed.

"An explosion?" Eren said also getting up.

"I doubt it..." I said slowly getting up.

We looked to our right and saw some people heading for the wall.

"It came from there!" a man said.

"Seems like something fell." another man said.

"I have no idea." the man from before replied.

Armin ran after them to find out what was going on.

"Hey, Armin!" Eren said as we ran after him. We came to a stop when we saw Armin standing there looking up at the wall. I looked up as well in horror, "Just what are you staring at?" he took in a sharp intake of breath when he saw what we saw. There was skinless hand clutching the top of the wall. The hand clutched the wall more firmly, causing the wall to crack more at the pressure.

"No way..." Armin said beginning to panic, "That wall is  _fifty_ meters tall!"

"It's  _them_ ," Eren said in his shocked stupor. A head suddenly peaked over the wall. It was as skinless as the hand. All we could see was it's flesh, tendons, and bone, "A Titan."

I could just hear the dramatic music that had played during this part as the Titan broke down the wall. When the Titan broke the gate of the wall, the force of the kick sent a strong gust of the wind throughout the town along with chunks of stone. Once it's 'job' was completed, it went out of sight behind the wall.

Armin had fallen to his knees due to the gust of wind, "Th-They blew a h-hole into the wall." he said in shock. As if everyone decided to share the same brain, the people around us began to run as one towards the gate to get away from the Titans that were coming through. Armin began to back away in fear, "We need to- Eren!" I turned to see Eren walking towards the opposite direction in a daze.

"Our house is... Mom is..." he said unable to complete his thought in fear of what he was thinking would come true. Mikasa's eyes widened and she ran after Eren as he broke into a run.

"Mikasa!" he said reaching out to her but faltered as fear took hold of him. His arm shook with the fear his young body was trying to contain so he wouldn't go crazy. He grabbed hold of his trembling hand and brought it down, "It's all over. This town is... going to be overrun by Titans!" tears began to prick the corners of his eyes.

_Oh no you don't!_

I grabbed Armin by the shoulders, "Oi, snap out of it Armin!" I yelled shaking him back and forth. Once I had him looking me in the eyes, I spoke again, "I want you to go find your grandfather and go with him to the boats! Do you understand!? I need you to go to the boats! I'll meet you there when I have Eren and Mikasa!"

"But-" he began to say but I cut him off with a stern look. I gave him a small smile and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Don't worry. I'll be all right. Now go!" I said as I ran off after Eren and Mikasa.

* * *

When I reached Eren and Mikasa, they were already trying to lift the support beams off of Mrs. Jaeger's back.

"Eren! Mikasa!" I called out to them.

"Mai! Help me!" he called out desperately over his shoulder.

I went to help lift the beam up next to Eren, but no matter how much I tried, the blasted thing wouldn't budge! Tears began to well up in my eyes from the frustration and the pain of the wood scrapping my skin off. Leaving sore patches of bloody skin.

In the distance, I could hear the thundering sound of the Titans' fast approach. The three of us looked up to see two Titans passing us not too far away. Another one was making its way in our direction. This only spurred on our desperation to free Mrs. Jaeger.

"Hurry, Mai! Mikasa!" Eren desperately cried.

"I'm trying!" I heard Mikasa say in a panicked voice.

The tears that I had been trying to hold back fell from my eyes. It was almost as if someone had opened up the floodgates that were my eyes.

"The Titans have come inside, haven't they?" Mrs. Jaeger stated, "Eren, take Mikasa and Mai and run away. Hurry!"

"I want to run away! Get up already!" Eren shouted in frustration. I looked down at his hands and saw that they were no better than mine.

"My legs are crushed by the rubble. Even if I get out of here, I can't run." she tried to reason with us.

Eren looked to his mother in horror and fear. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, "I'll run away carrying you!" he screamed at her.

"Why don't you ever listen to what I tell you!? At least listen to my final request!" she yelled at him, "Mikasa! Mai!" she called out to us.

"No... No!" Mikasa said with tears in her eyes.

I felt my feet slide against the rubble and I found myself on the ground in a crying mess. I reached out for her hand, "M-Mom... please don't- don't say stuff like that. Were gonna get you out of here." I said between the sobs and tears not caring that I accidentally called her mom. Her eyes widened for a second.

_Screw pretenses! I'm not letting you die!_

I could her the sound of the Titan coming closer and closer.

"At this rate, the four of us will..." she was cut off by the sound of 3DM gear. I looked back to see it was one of the Garrisons, Hannes, "Hannes! Take the children and run!"

_Oh right... Hannes comes to save Eren and Mikasa from the Titan. As much as I hate leaving her behind, I need to get Eren and Mikasa out of here. I need to protect the two of them and Armin._

He knelled in front of her, "I can't have you thinking I'm that small a man, Carla. I'll butcher the Titan and make sure to save all four of you!" he said running off to face the Titan.

"Wait! Don't fight it!" Mrs. Jaeger pleaded to him.

As Hannes went to go cower in front of the Titan, I took the time to wipe the tears from my face. I turned to Mrs. Jaeger with a determined face and kissed her on the forehead, "I'm sorry I couldn't do more." I whispered in her ear. I then took the brown hair tie from her hair and stuffed it in my pocket.

I looked back to her and saw her eyes wide, but soon they were filled with tears of happiness, "Please take care of them for me, my daughter." she said with a smile on her face.

A new wave of tears fell down my face, "I will." as Hannes came back and grabbed Eren and hauled him over his shoulder, I grabbed Mikasa and hugged her to my chest, running after Hannes, my white cloak flying behind me as I ran.

"Hey, Hannes! What're you doing!? Mom is... She's still..." I heard Eren exclaimed in fear reaching out for her.

"Eren, Mikasa, Mai! You three need to live on!" she called out to us trying to be strong for us, but I knew in my heart, she was scared beyond belief and all she wanted to do was hug her children as she left this Earthly plane.

Eren had shifted into a sitting position on Hannes' shoulder and was able to see everything behind us. He let out a gasp when the Titan began to dig out his- no...  _our_ mother out of the demolished house.

"Stop!" he screamed at the Titan, tears streaming from his eyes. I could feel more tears fall from my eyes as a sobs racked my body once again.

I could hear the crack of her spine as it was broken. I winced at the deafening sound. I looked to where Mikasa was clutched in my arms and saw her watching what was happening. I immediately pushed her head into my shoulder to hide the horrific scene that I know was playing out behind us. I looked to Eren, about to tell him to look away, but stopped myself.

_No... no matter how much I hate it, he needs to see this. He needs a motive and if seeing your mother killed before your very eyes isn't then by golly there's something extremely wrong with you!_

I then heard the sickening crunch of our mother's body being chomped on by the Titan and because I was running behind Hannes, I got hot by the blood splattering from her body on the back white cloak and in my red hair.

I looked up to see Eren's face and saw a look I _never_ wanted to see on his, Mikasa's, Armin's, or _anyone_ who I hold dear's face.

It was the face of a broken soul...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter.
> 
> I have finally finished the first episode! Hazza!
> 
> Oh, and guess what!? This chapter is 2,120 words! I have a new record yall!
> 
> Thanks again for reading! See you next chapter!~
> 
> Edited: August 28, 2016


	10. This is Madness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN NO MATTER HOW MUCH I WANT TO!!

**Previously on _Red is the Color of Fate_...**

I looked up to see Eren's face and saw a look I never want to see on his, Mikasa's, Armin's, or anyone who I hold dear's face.

It was the face of a broken soul...

* * *

We had been running for a while. Mikasa had her arms wrapped tightly around my neck as I held her to my chest. Her tears had dried up a while back, but... Eren was still in a state of shock. His eyes wide in horror at what he had just witnessed.

As we passed under a stone arch, Eren's shock wore off and he turned on Hannes, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he punched Hannes' head.

"Eren? What?" Hannes asked.

"We could've saved Mom!" Mikasa turned her head to look at Eren, "Why the hell would you do that!? We could've saved Mom!" he said bringing down his elbow to strike Hannes' head.

I winced. _Ouch... that's gonna leave a mark._

"Cut it out." He threw Eren off his shoulder and onto the ground.

"Eren!" Mikasa wiggled out of my arms and went to help Eren.

"Eren..." Hannes began to walk towards the two of them. Eren turned and glared at him, "You couldn't help your mother because you're weak." he said getting down on one knee.

His statement caused Eren to lash out once again. He screamed, aiming a punch at Hannes' face, but Hannes caught Eren's wrist mid-punch. Eren struggled in his grasp, trying to take back his fist so he could attempt to punch him again.

Hannes's eyes stared at the ground, "I... I couldn't face the Titan," he looked Eren in the eyes, tears streaming from his eyes, "because I was scared!" Eren stopped his struggling, his own tears streaming from his eyes.

Hannes stood, taking Eren's hand as well as Mikasa's and began to walk in the direction of the ferries, "I'm sorry." he apologized to us, but mainly to Eren and Mikasa. Eren began to silently sob as he was pulled along, trying to keep as quiet as possible.

I followed behind them in silence. I noticed Mikasa hold her head in slight pain.

"Are you okay Mikasa?" I asked in concern.

"It's nothing. I'm fine." she replied.

"... Okay."

I looked to Eren and saw he was still silently sobbing.

* * *

_"Please take care of them for me, my daughter." she said with a smile on her face._

_A new wave of tears fell down my face, "I will."_

* * *

I picked up my pace to where I was standing right behind Eren. As he turned to look at me with teary eyes, I picked him and held him to my chest, much like I held Mikasa earlier.

For a moment, he was still in my arms, but he soon succumbed to crying once again. My once pristine white cloak now soaked in not only our mother's crimson blood but Eren's heartbroken tears...

* * *

By the time we had reached the ferries, the place was already packed.

_Figures. I told Hannes we should have run._

Hannes pushed through the mass of people, making it to the front holding Mikasa by the hand and me following him with Eren still in my arms. He had stopped crying a while ago but had gone back into his state of shock. He had his arms wrapped tightly around my shoulders while his hands clutched my once white cloak in a death grip.

 _He probably took notice of the blood in my hair and on my cloak. There's nothing I can do about it at the moment._ With a sigh, I ran my fingers through his hair as a form of comfort while Hannes convinced the Garrison in charge of the evacuation to let the three of us on.

I looked to my left and saw Armin standing on the ferry with his grandfather sitting next to him. I smiled at this.

_Good job, Armin._

Once the three of us were on the ferry, we went to sit against the wall with Mikasa on my left and Eren on my right. I had an arm wrapped around each of their shoulders as a form of comfort. Eren's face was still a mix of horror and shock. All around us, we could hear people praying to God to save us and the such.

Suddenly, there were collective screams of fear and disagreement. I looked up to see that the two Garrisons on board with us were drawing up the bridge. One of the Garrisons that was holding back the crowd shouted out for us to go. But... that didn't stop a select few from breaking through their human barrier. Some of them tried to jump onto the ferry but ended up losing their grips and fell to their deaths. We had to listen to them fall to their deaths over and over and over again.

It was madness.

In the distance, we heard the thundering sound of what I could only guess could be cannon fire. We could hear the grating sound of the heavy gate of Wall Maria as it came down slowly. But none of these sounds were as frightening as what came after these two sounds. The most frightening sound was the sound of a Titan breaking through the gate of Wall Maria.

The Titan came barreling through the gate, sending large pieces of rock and debris flying along with the Garrisons that were in its way. It came to a stop once it had completed it's 'job', letting out a huff of steam.

Unlike the first Titan that broke the wall around Shiganshina, this one was covered in bone like armor and had short pale hair on top of its head.

I brought a shaky hand to my mouth in horror at the sight of the Titan calmly standing straight up and looking down at the humans left at the dock.

_This can't be happening!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter.
> 
> Let me know if this story is making you have the feels or not. I need to know if I'm conveying enough emotion in my story in case I'm not.
> 
> Thanks again. See you next chapter!~
> 
> Edited: August 28, 2016

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this chapter! See you next chapter!~


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